


Two Horizons

by Urby



Series: Return to Innocence [3]
Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Light Angst, Not Beta Read, Transformation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-09
Updated: 2017-05-09
Packaged: 2018-10-29 20:11:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,014
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10861218
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Urby/pseuds/Urby
Summary: Corrin invites Azura to pet his dragon form. Azura isn't sure what to think about that.





	Two Horizons

**Author's Note:**

> I find it fascinating that Azura lets herself fall in love, despite all the weight she's carrying. Maybe it's unfair to expect her to stay distant (she's young and craves company), but I'm sure she has to fight her conscience a lot.
> 
> I have more entries in this series planned, but I would like to have someone's input on them before I post/work on them. If you are interested in reading drafts and helping me out, please contact me on Tumblr (urbydizzy)

Corrin approached Azura with a serious kind of determination, taking hold of her hands. "Please come to my room tonight," he told her.

It was unusual to see him so straight-faced about affectionate matters, so at first she thought something grave had happened, or that he wanted to discuss something important. But then, his usual gentle smile spread across his face. She couldn't help but smile back.

She leaned towards him, whispering so that only he could hear: "It won't be long before others begin to talk."

He huffed, turning his face towards her neck. "Everybody talks when something like this happens, don't they?"

"I suppose they do," she mused, and pushed him back with a finger. "Tonight, then."

* * *

Azura probably should have asked Corrin what he had in mind when he asked her to come. She figured it was something ordinary, maybe some cuddling. She should have not have assumed so much.

A dragon - no, Corrin as a dragon - was lounging on his bed in what she could only assume was supposed to be an alluring or relaxed fashion. His tail curled towards her when she appeared in the doorway.

She moved to close the door.

There was a quiet, echoing roar as she reached for the knob. A voice, sounding as if it was travelling through water, crossed her mind. _Wait! Azura, wait, please!_

Azura paused, then peeked around the doorway. "Did you just speak?" she asked.

 _You can hear me!_ the voice came again. It was a bit difficult to tell, but it was certainly Corrin's voice that was crossing the mental space. He lifted his head, jaw parting in what she assumed was a smile. _I'm so glad! I can finally talk to you when I'm like this!_

She did not move, and the undulation of his ears slowed. _Azura?_ his voice was soft. _Do you not want to come in?_

Her fingers flexed around the doorknob. She let out the breath she was holding gently. "You invited me," she said, crossing the barrier and closing the door behind her. She approached him with even strides. "Though I have to admit, I was expecting something quite different than what you seem to have planned for tonight."

Corrin tucked his chin as much as he could with the spike of his jaw resting on his neck. The motion made him look somewhat like a waterfowl, if the waterfowl had an array of draconic regalia on their face. _I wanted...I figured, because this form is new to me, that maybe we could find out more about it together? So I -- so we can be comfortable. Maybe that was a bad idea. I'm sorry._

"There's no reason to be sorry," Azura said. "I was just a bit caught off-guard by your form."

He turned away from her, shifting on the bed so his arms and legs were tucked under his body. _I'm so comfortable around you. But when I want to spend time with you alone, I think about so many things. And when I think those thoughts, things inside of me...come out. I thought that if I let those things out, and I'm in control of them, maybe my thoughts will be quiet,_ he said.

She hovered by the bed, considering what he said. It was her idea to have him assume his dragon form to help him gain control, after all. She had a seat by him and laid a hand on his neck. "Do you want to talk about those thoughts?"

There was movement under her fingers. Had he swallowed? She wasn't entirely sure what the dragon was capable of. His ears fidgeted erratically.

 _Can we talk about those later?_ he asked.

"Of course," she said. She wasn't sure how seriously she could take a conversation about their feelings when she couldn't read his expression, anyway. "What would you like to do, then?"

Corrin swung his head slowly so that they were facing each other. _Can you pet me?_

Azura blinked. Her mouth parted for a few seconds before she was able to speak. "Like an animal?"

He made a short rumbling noise, almost like clearing his throat. _Please? I like it when you touch me!_

She smiled helplessly. Her hands hovered around his head. "Alright then. But please, don't make any sudden movements..."

 _I'll be careful,_ he promised. He tucked his chin so that the spike on his jaw was not pointing at her.

The dragon's face had nothing in the way of human features and was rather blank, but it didn't look threatening. With the bony jaw still and out of the way, it was...actually a bit cute, in the way simple things were. The ears were quite expressive, always moving and providing proof that underneath the mask was a thinking, sensitive being. A sensitive being that she was growing quite attached to, no less. She brought her hands close to his face and waited for a reaction. He brought his face closer to her hands, and she placed them, fingers first, onto the draconic skin. The dark part of his face was smooth and cool, not unlike his hands. She brushed her fingers against it, laying her palms flat against the surface underneath his crest.

"What am I touching right now?" she asked. "Are these your cheeks?"

He apparently needed to ponder this, because it was a moment before he answered. _Close enough,_ he said. _If the dragon had cheeks, I definitely think they would be where you're touching me._

"Do you feel like I'm touching you? Or that I'm touching the dragon?"

Corrin rumbled gently. _I am a dragon,_ he said, though his words lifted at the end slightly, as if he expected her to doubt him.

"I'm sorry," Azura said. "I imagined you would think of yourself as a human, even when you're in this form."

His jaw parted as he realized what she meant. _At one point, I might have thought that - that my human form was just hiding underneath this. But sometimes this feels so very real. I don't know where I am right now, other than this form right here._

She hummed in acknowledgement, stroking her thumbs against his skin. She felt a little vibration under her hands...perhaps a purr? There was no sound, and she didn't know if he was doing it on purpose. It was too cute to bring up and potentially have him stop doing it.

Azura would have gladly enjoyed petting him like this, but in the silence, her mind began wandering around darker subjects. How could she relax? This was a dangerous creature, one that she would need to tame if Corrin's hold on it faltered. One that would probably fight her if she needed to tame it.

But...no, this...this was no monster, not a mere creature. This was Corrin. It -- no, he -- he was here, curled up like a placid kitten. He'd asked for her to touch him. He was _purring_ ; he was so sweet, and she wanted to love him. She wanted to love him and his dragon form and not have to think of how to protect herself around him, how she shouldn't be --

She needed a distraction. She took a deep breath before speaking. "What did you think when you first transformed?"

He carefully drew away from her so she was no longer cupping his face. The undulation of his ears was quite wide.

 _I was...angry, and sad,_ he said. _In a way I've never been before. I don't ever want to feel that way again. So I want...I want to learn how to be happy when I'm like this._

She expected a response like that. She placed her hands on his forearms, hoping he could take comfort in her contact.

 _I hope you don't mind,_ he said. _That I want to be happy this way with you._

"I don't. I would like it if you could learn to be happy in this form," she said. Perhaps her mind would be quiet if she focused on making him happy. "Forgive me for asking such a prying question."

Corrin shifted on the bed, his shoulders rolling as his wings shuffled. He lowered his head. _...Could you go back to petting me?_

"Of course," Azura smiled.

Her hands went back to exploring the draconic face in front of her. The white part at the top of his head was smooth and tougher than the dark mask. However, it didn't feel metallic like the plates on his neck, and it wasn't the same as the armor-like torso...perhaps it was closer to polished wood, with a finish so fine that she couldn't feel the grain. She idly wondered what it would have been like if he kept his hair in this form and had a soft, wild mane.

She considered his dark mask for a moment. It was quite tight around his face, up until his ears, which undulated softly. They seemed to have quite the range of movement, because she'd seen them flail in wide arcs. They were actually rather thick, now that she saw them up close - thicker than the handle of a staff, for sure. She took a hold of them, one in each hand. They flailed a bit when she closed her fingers around them, but he seemed otherwise unperturbed. She rolled her wrists gently, testing for resistance, but there was very little - about as much as she'd expect if she was manipulating a tired person's arm. Her movements were not so sudden that they would catch him by surprise, and soon the movements of his ears matched that of her hands.

It was like what she imagined holding a live eel would be like. She'd seen pictures of them, and had eaten a piece of one during a holiday feast. She'd been told that eating of the eel would give a person its vitality and good luck. She dismissed the train of thought - she wasn't about to eat his ears. That would be absurd, not to mention unkind. The undulation of Corrin's ears at the moment was like...a swimming fish, or even a wave. Yes, a little choppy wave when the ocean was calm but the wind was eager.

Allowing herself a bit of childish fantasy, Azura waggled the ears and sang softly: "The~se are o~cean's grey waves..."

He made a little huffing growl, which was either an approximation of a chuckle or a sign of frustration. She decided not to take her chances and lifted her hands away from his ears.

The antlers on his face appeared metallic, but they weren't cold like iron or steel. It was lukewarm, like an extension of his body. Suddenly curious, she reached a careful hand towards the bony jaw. The two parts felt similar in texture and warmth. He made a quiet noise and leaned his head back and forth - not quite a shake, but she interpreted it as such.

"I suppose you don't like having those touched?" she asked.

 _No! I mean, it doesn't bother me,_ he said. _But it's not petting!_

"Ah, yes," she said, putting on a grave face. "The mighty dragon will only be satisfied with the most affectionate of pettings."

Corrin reared his head, jaw parting so that he would look more imposing. _Raaawr! I demand cuddles from the most beautiful singer in the land! You! Now pet me,_ he declared, tucking his chin and lowering his neck so his head was at eye level. _Please,_ he added politely.

Azura scoffed lightly at the compliment, but obliged him nonetheless. The dragon form seemed to make him a little bolder, but in the end, Corrin was still Corrin.

The antlers formed a crescent near his face, and she placed her hands on the cup it formed. He did not react, even when she rubbed in little circles. She hummed, then started to bring the circular motions closer to the front of his face.

 _Ah,_ he said.

"Hmm?"

 _You're covering my eyes,_ he said. _I didn't know that's where they were._

"Here?" she asked, tapping the area her hands had come to rest on. He nodded, and she lifted her hands away. "I almost had the impression you were blind in this form."

 _No, not at all. I can see very well,_ he said, tipping his head like a puppy. _It's hard to know what parts of my face are what, though. Maybe I need to spend some time with a mirror?_

"But can you touch your face?" she asked.

Corrin shifted, as if he was about to try, but quickly realized it wouldn't work because how his limbs were arranged. _I guess not, then..._

"I can help you with that," she said with a smile, holding her palms up. He nodded and let her touch him again.

The pale skin below his dark "eye" mask was slightly squishy, as if it was covering something blubbery or fatty. She ran her fingers against the lines banding it - they were very faint indentations, just enough for her nails to catch in them if she moved slowly. She ran her fingers up and down the lines, watching as he slowly, slowly lifted his chin, bony jaw dropping to give her easier access. She smiled, wondering if he would like having the underside of his chin stroked in human form.

Azura paused when her fingers reached the border between the pale chin skin and the dark face mask. There was...definitely some kind of seam between them. She guided his head down with her free hand so that she could examine it more easily. The seam was very thin, and she had no idea what it was supposed to be, but...the more she touched it, the more curious she became. She ran her thumb across it, brow furrowed. What was...

Something wet and warm touched her thumb, and she jerked back. "Ah -!"

Corrin's ears flailed in worry, but his head remained where it was. _I'm sorry! I didn't mean to surprise you!_

"What was that?" she asked, feeling a bit foolish. "What was I touching?"

_That's where my lips are!_

Azura blinked. She concentrated on breathing evenly in and out, because she had the feeling that a shudder would pass through her body if she didn't. "...Lips."

A small pink line stretched across the seam. He leaned in very slowly, allowing her the time to back away. She was too confused to do so, and the warm wetness touched her cheek.

 _Blep,_ he announced proudly, as if it meant something. He leaned back, head tipping again.

"So...that...this? This is your tongue?" she asked, lifting a careful finger. It took her a moment to work up the courage to touch 'this' - the little pink line between the seam. It was still wet.

 _Yes?_ Corrin's voice was touched with worry. He drew his tongue back and tucked his chin.

"But you have a jaw...it moves when you roar," she said. "So you also have a mouth?"

 _I do,_ he said. _So, I could eat in this form if I needed to._

Azura swallowed softly and moved closer to him. She stroked the seam - his lips - until they parted and she could see the inside of his mouth. So many pointed, serrated teeth...and the tongue, pink and rather large, actually. It occurred to her that this should be terrifying, or at least threatening, but she felt no fear. He hadn't ever used these teeth or this mouth in battle...so maybe he never would. His breath came in long, long sweeps, and though she expected it to smell like something (like the ocean or standing water, like what he'd eaten, like death, perhaps) it was absent of any odor.

She stroked under his chin, and he closed his mouth again, rumbling deep. His breath no longer swept across her skin. She leaned over to kiss the top of his head.

_Hmm._

"Hmm?"

 _There's a Nohrian fairy tale,_ Corrin began, _where a beast turned into a man when a lovely woman kissed him._

A soft chuckle escaped her lips. "Was it because it was true love's first kiss, by any chance?" she asked, leaning towards him. She didn't know if she could embrace him like a human - the most she could do was cuddle up to his neck in this position - but she hoped that he would understand the gesture. His neck was cool, save for the bony spinal cord on the back, which was the same lukewarm of his jaw and antlers.

 _Oh! Oh. So you know that fairy tale,_ he said.

"Perhaps," she said. "Are you suggesting that a kiss from me would have similar effects?"

She couldn't see them, but she could vividly imagine his ears flailing. She didn't mention the other parts of the fairy tale (that the man was cursed to be a beast, that the woman had found the beast under unfortunate circumstances) because she didn't want to draw comparisons to their reality, but she found his ploy to get kisses endearing.

"Come," she said, releasing his neck and sitting back. "I'll kiss you, dragon, and we'll see what happens."

He thrummed, watching her for a moment, then leaned down to touch his lips to hers. She cupped his head and kissed his round, smooth face. And then, with a silent release of steam and light, she found herself face-to-face with a blushing (but very pleased) mostly-human Corrin.

"Not quite all the way," Azura chuckled.

His ears twitched, and he laughed quietly. "Well, it wasn't our first kiss..."

He hugged her, and she returned the embrace, nesting her face near his neck. She had missed being able to do this in the short time they'd spent together in his altered form. Part of her wanted to say that aloud - that she liked being hugged by him, and that it helped her feel better. And yet, admitting that much seemed selfish.

He stroked her back, and it surprised her how soothing she felt that touch was.

**Author's Note:**

> I considered having the inside of Corrin's mouth have human teeth, but then I realized he would basically be The Biting Pear of Salamanca/LOLWUT Pear, and I decided that wasn't the vibe I wanted. Here it is more like something between a shark and orca.
> 
> I also almost had Azura blep Corrin back but that seemed a bit too much. Maybe later.


End file.
